B-2 Software Design Review Completed

The U.S. Air Force and Northrop Grumman completed an incremental system design review of the new software and computing architecture to manage B-2 stealth bomber missions. The review of the architecture, which was completed June 5 in Oklahoma City, is part of a $171 million contract awarded to Northrop Grumman by the Air Force in 2007 to develop the first increment of a new EHF satellite communications system. The architecture defines standardized hardware and software interfaces that will allow the integrated processing unit (IPU) to communicate, via a fiber network, with the aircraft's processing applications. It provides the high-speed data handling environment required to implement future B-2 capabilities such as an EHF satellite communications system, and the ability to destroy moving targets. Lockheed Martin Systems Integration, under contract to Lockheed Martin, is developing the IPU designed to replace up to a dozen current stand-alone avionics computers on the B-2. For related news